KARACHI: The NBP 50th National Snooker Championship flagged off on Tuesday here at the NBP Sports Complex with defending champion Shahid Aftab making a strong start while young prodigy Hasnain Akhtar delivered the day’s major upset by toppling a top seed.

In a tournament featuring 48 players divided into 12 groups, the opening day of the round-robin stage set the tone for the competition where the top two from each group will advance.

The knockout rounds will see the top eight qualifiers progress directly to the pre-quarterfinals, with the remaining 16 contesting a last-24 round.

Defending champion Shahid of Punjab launched his title defence with a commanding 4-0 victory over Daniyal Shahzad of Islamabad.

Shahid controlled the match from the outset, sealing frames with breaks of 53 and 52 in a dominant display.

The day’s most significant result, however, came from Sindh’s Hasnain, the Asian Under-21 champion in 2024, who overcame fifth seed Mohammad Naseem Akhtar of Punjab 4-2.

After losing the first two frames, including a close 80-72 defeat in the second where he made a 62 break, Hasnain rallied brilliantly. He won four consecutive frames, notably crafting a break of 92 in the fourth, to secure a impressive victory.

Veteran cueist Mohammad Asif, the country’s most successful player and a three-time IBSF world champion, sent a powerful message with a flawless 4-0 win over Barjeesh Khan.

Representing NBP, Asif was in sublime form, constructing two century breaks, both of 130 to down the recently crowned national U-21 champion Barjees.

He opened his match with a 130 clearance in the first frame and repeated the feat in the third, adding an 82 break in the second for a dominant performance.

In other matches featuring top contenders, Mohammad Sajjad (NBP), last year’s championship runner-up, navigated a challenge from reigning U-17 champion Mohammad Farhan to win 4-2.

Meanwhile, 2024 national champion Asjad Iqbal (NBP) advanced with a 4-1 victory over Aftab Baig. Sohail Shahzad of Sindh also registered a 4-0 win, which included a high break of 132.

Punjab’s Awaisullah Munir, the Asian 6-red title winner in 2024, progressed with a 4-1 victory, featuring breaks of 79, 51 and 77.

Further results saw Mudassar Yaqoob (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) defeat

Mohammad Yousaf (Balochistan) 4-0 in a series of close frames. Mohammad Faizan (Punjab) survived a tough battle against Shah Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), eventually prevailing 4-3.

Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh) also won a seven-frame encounter against Mohammad Shahbaz (Punjab) 4-3. Ali Hamza (Sindh) defeated Ghulam Abbas (Balochistan) 4-0.

In the all-Sindh encounter Ian Mark John beat Nadir Shah 4-1, finishing with a break of 52.

The round matches and last-24 knockout rounds are played as best-of-seven-frame contests. The pre-quarterfinals, quarter-finals and semi-finals will be best-of-nine while the final will be a best-of-11-frame match.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2026